How to use SpecForma

SpecForma reads a CSI-format Word spec, works out the level of every paragraph (PART, Article, Paragraph, Subparagraph…), and writes a clean copy with real Word numbering and the formatting you choose. Your original file is never changed.

Quickest way to learn: in SpecForma, click ? (top right) and choose Take the tour. It runs on a sample spec and can play by itself.

Getting started

1. Click Open spec… (or drop a .docx file on the page).
2. Check the preview. SpecForma has already found every level and tidied paragraphs that didn't match the rest of their level (listed under Changes).
3. Change anything you like in the left panel: Numbering, Format, Headers & Footers, Page.
4. Choose Word, PDF or Word + PDF and click Export.

Everything you set is saved for that spec automatically. Open the same file again later and you carry on where you left off.

The preview

The page in the middle shows the spec as it will be exported. Numbers are what Word will show after export.

• An orange bar on the left means SpecForma wasn't sure about that paragraph. Hover to see why, and check it.
• A purple bar means you changed that paragraph's level.
• While you work in the left panel, the paragraphs (or header/footer) you're changing are highlighted in blue.

How numbers read (Numbering)

Each level has a pattern. Type what you want; the preview updates as you type.

• {part}, {article}, {paragraph}, {subparagraph}, {subsubparagraph} insert the number. Add a style after a colon: :1 1, 2 · :01 01, 02 · :A A, B · :a a, b · :I I, II.
• Examples: PART {part} - gives "PART 1 -"; {part}.{article:01} gives "1.01"; {part}.{article} gives "1.1".
• then chooses what follows the number: a tab, a space, or nothing.

Numbers are renumbered in order, so duplicates and gaps in the original are fixed. Every change is listed under Changes.

Fixing a paragraph's level

Click a paragraph in the preview (Shift-click for a range, ⌘/Ctrl-click to add more), then use the bar that appears: choose the level, or press Tab to move it down a level and Shift+Tab to move it up. "Unnumbered text" is for a paragraph that continues the one above; "Not structural" is for anything that isn't part of the outline. Use detected level undoes your change.

Formatting (Format)

1. Under Apply to, pick what to change: All, one level (shown as it reads, e.g. "1.01" or "A."), or ⌘/Ctrl-click several. Title, End and Unnumbered text are separate.
2. Set the font, size, bold/italic/caps, alignment, spacing, line spacing, indents and page flow.

• Anything left as is stays exactly as in the spec. Settings for a level win over "All".
• No space between paragraphs of the same level adds space only where the level changes.
• Keep together with its sub-items moves an Article to the next page rather than splitting it.
• Create Word styles for each level makes every paragraph of a level identical and adds styles such as "SpecForma ARTICLE" to the Word file, so editing in Word stays consistent.
• Make each level consistent (on by default) fixes the odd paragraph whose indent, font, spacing or alignment differs from nearly all others on its level.

Title lines

Under Format, choose Title. SpecForma shows only the options that fit your spec:

• two title lines: combine them into one, with a dash, colon, space or your own separator;
• one line: split the section number and name onto two lines, with the space you want between them;
• a spaced number (07 13 54): remove the spaces; an unspaced one (071354): add spaces where you click +.

Headers & footers

Keep the spec's own header/footer, or Replace it with my own lines:

• Each line has Left, Center and Right text, each with its own font and style (Aa).
• Logo places a picture (PNG, JPEG or GIF) in that part. Set its width in inches.
• + Add horizontal line adds a rule. Move lines with ↑ ↓.
• Fields fill themselves in: page number, total pages, section number, section title, date, file name. Click in a box first, then click the field.
• Copy the spec's current header/footer gives you an editable starting point.

Page layout & file name (Page)

• Page layout: paper size, orientation, margins, header/footer distance. Empty boxes stay as in the spec.
• Exported file name: a pattern such as {section_number} {section_title:title}. The result is shown as you type.
• Spec template: see Spec templates.

Checking before export

• Changes: every number that changed, every level you changed, every paragraph made consistent.
• Warnings: things worth a look, such as a cross-reference to a number that changed ("see 1.04").
• Pages: Render pages shows the export as real pages, to check page breaks and headers.

Exporting

Pick Word, PDF or Word + PDF next to Export. Every export is re-read and checked automatically; the message tells you if anything didn't come out as planned. A list of changes (.csv) is available too. Always read through the exported spec before you issue it.

Profiles

Save as profile… (top of the left panel) stores the numbering, formatting, header/footer, page and file name settings under a name. Pick it on any other spec to apply them all at once.

Spec templates

• Create template… makes a blank spec in your format, with a Word style for every level, the header/footer and page setup, and (optionally) instructions for writers. Save it as a Word template (.dotx).
• Import SpecForma template… (under Profile, on the start page, or in Batch) turns a template made by SpecForma back into settings, to format other specs the same way.

Batch: many specs at once

1. Click Batch…, add your specs, and pick the master (the spec already formatted the way you want), or pick a profile or SpecForma template under Match to.
2. Choose what to match: numbering, look of every level, title lines, header & footer, page layout, file name.
3. Match & export all gives one .zip with every spec (Word, PDF or both) and a report. Match only applies the settings so you can check specs first with Open.

Only what is set in SpecForma is matched. Set everything you want changed on the master, including text fonts and sizes.

Keyboard shortcuts

Questions

Does SpecForma change my original file? No. It always writes a new file.

Can I keep editing in Word afterwards? Yes. The numbers are real Word numbering; with Create Word styles on, each level also has its own style, so new paragraphs number themselves.

A paragraph is at the wrong level. Click it and press Tab or Shift+Tab (see Fixing a paragraph's level).

The PDF breaks a page differently from Word. PDFs are made on the server with LibreOffice, which can place a line or page break slightly differently from Word. The Word file is the reference.

Something else? Use the contact address at the bottom of the SpecForma front page.